Biography
Prof. R. P. Singh
Prof. R. P. Singh
Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India
Title: Characteristic Features and Therapeutic Potential of a L-asparaginase from a Marine Bacterium
Abstract: 
L-asparaginase is an antileukemic enzyme that is vital in treating patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and other blood cancers. Consequently, the exploration of L-asparaginase has been one of the prime contemplations of various groups. However, the clinical trial of L-asparaginase has been observed to elicit several side effects. Additionally, frequent dosages of this form of enzyme is required due to its shorter half-life in blood circulation, leading to lower clinical efficacy and increased treatment cost. Therefore, extensive efforts are made to attain alternative sources of L-asparaginase with improved features. In this study, an extracellular glutaminase-free L-asparaginase-producing Bacillus australimaris NJB19 was selected from marine resources. The derivation of optimum levels of variables for the enzyme production resulted in considerably increased yield of L-asparaginase production. Further, the biochemical analysis of the protein was conducted for finding out optimum parameters, Km and Vmax. The structural analysis suggested that the protein was type II L-asparaginase with no toxin domain. Furthermore, the cytotoxicity of the produced L-asparaginase was evaluated on three solid tumor cell lines employing MTT and LDH assays. The cytotoxicity assay showed the highest cytotoxic activity for MCF-7and to MDA-MB231 and DU-145 cells. Therefore, glutaminase-free L-asparaginase from marine B. australimaris NJB19 has a high potential to be exploited commercially for ALL treatment.
Keywords: Marine, L-asparaginase, Cytotoxicity, Anti-leukemic
Biography: 
Prof. R. P. Singh has contributed over three decades of his dedicated service for research and science education. He is currently a Emeritus Professor at Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, India. Prof. Singh received his Master’s in Biochemistry from G.B. Pant University of Agriculture & Technology, India and Doctoral degree in Microbial biochemistry from Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India. He had continued as a Research Associate at Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh. Further he worked at National Institutes of Health, USA and Harvard Medical School, USA as a Visiting Fellow and as a Research Officer for more than five years. He was also a visiting faculty for a year at University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, USA. His research interests primarily include enzyme engineering, biofuels, biopolymers and targeted drug delivery. He is associated with several International and National organizations mainly Process Innovation and Process Intensification Network, UK; European Federation of Biotechnology, Committees on Genetically Modified Organisms and Food, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India ; Expert Committees of Department of Science & Technology and Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India and Life Science Research Board, DRDO, Govt. of India. He is a member of editorial board of journals and had served as a reviewer for several reputed international journals. He has authored several original research articles, review papers and book chapters and has one US patent to his credit. He has supervised 23 doctoral thesis and several Master’s and Undergraduate dissertations. Prof. Singh had delivered several invited lectures and had visited countries mainly USA, UK and Germany. He has handled various research projects till date. He is life member of several scientific bodies and is on the board and committees of several institutions.